中 zhōng, zhòng — middle, centre; in, among, within; China (in 中国); (zhòng) to hit the mark, to be hit by

zhōng zhòng

2 readings — the first is the most common.

middle, centre; in, among, within; China (in 中国); (zhòng) to hit the mark, to be hit by

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拼音

zhōng (first tone, high and level)most common
zhòng (fourth tone, falling)

middle, centre; in, among, within; China (in 中国); (zhòng) to hit the mark, to be hit by

字形拆解

Ideographic description

⿻口丨The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.

口shape partNot a mouth here but an enclosure — the ground a camp occupies.
丨shape partno entry yetThe pole driven straight through it; the character is filed under this vertical stroke.

Mnemonic

A pole 丨 driven straight through the middle of an enclosure 口 — the standard planted at the centre of a camp where everyone can see it. That is the middle of 中间 and 中午, and the central kingdom of 中国. Said in the fourth tone, zhòng, it is the pole being struck rather than planted: 中奖 is to hit a prize, that is, to win.

A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.